Burkina Faso adopts national AI roadmap under Relance Plan
2026-2030 'AI for all' roadmap targets health and farming, schools
#BurkinaFaso #AIStrategy - Burkina Faso has approved a National Artificial Intelligence Roadmap for 2026-2030, validated on 17 June at a meeting in Ouagadougou hosted by the Burkina Faso public university Virtual University of Burkina Faso (UV-BF). The roadmap was developed by Burkina Faso’s Permanent Secretariat for Innovation and Monitoring of Emerging Digital Technologies (SPIVTEN), with input from government, private sector, academia, research centres, civil society and international partners. It sets out priorities for AI governance, infrastructure, data use, skills and research, with planned applications in healthcare, agriculture, education, water and energy services. The roadmap forms part of the government’s RELANCE Plan 2026-2030 and its “AI for All” digital transformation agenda.
SO WHAT? - Burkina Faso is one of the world’s least developed economies, with per capita income under $3,000 and more than 80 percent of the population dependent on subsistence farming. AI clear role here is not about frontier technology, but about using cheap, practical tools, such as weather forecasting for farmers, diagnostic support for clinics, to improve public services in a country where infrastructure and literacy remain serious constraints. It also suggests that even in less wealthy countries such as Burkina Faso it is wiser to set formal AI policy early on, rather than leaving it unaddressed.
KEY POINTS:
Burkina Faso validated its National AI Roadmap for 2026-2030 on 17 June at the Virtual University of Burkina Faso in Ouagadougou, bringing together government, private sector, academic and civil society representatives.
The roadmap was coordinated by SPIVTEN under Permanent Secretary Dr. Yaya Traoré, following a participatory process involving technical and financial partners.
Burkina Faso’s Secretary General for the Ministry of Digital Transition, Posts and Electronic Communications, Dr. Borlli Michel Jonas Somé, opened proceedings on behalf of the minister, framing AI as central to technological independence and public administration reform.
The document sets national priorities across AI governance, digital infrastructure, data valorisation, skills development, research support and ethical AI use in sectors including healthcare.
Planned applications include AI tools for medical diagnosis, farming support through improved weather forecasting, and education technology adapted for schoolchildren and university students.
The roadmap also covers water and energy services, aiming to let citizens report problems more easily and improve public service delivery.
It forms the 11th of twelve digital transformation initiatives under the government’s “AI at the service of all Burkinabè” programme, and sits within the broader RELANCE Plan 2026-2030.
Burkina Faso joins African countries including Rwanda, Senegal, Benin, Egypt and Kenya in adopting dedicated national AI strategies in recent years.
ZOOM OUT - The RELANCE economic recovery plan was adopted by Burkina Faso’s Council of Ministers on 29 January 2026. The plan has four pillars: security and social cohesion; state reform and governance; human capital development covering education, health and vocational training; and infrastructure and economic transformation. It allocates infrastructure investment for roads, energy and public facilities. The government has also adopted a monitoring and evaluation mechanism for RELANCE Plan intended to track results and hold officials accountable for how public resources are managed.
[Written and edited with the assistance of AI]
Source: Ministère de la Transition Digitale, des Postes et des Communications Électroniques, AAIN
Read about other African AI strategies:
Nigeria plans for world’s first ‘National AI Trust’ (Africa AI News)
Libya launches National AI Strategy with 35 initiatives (Africa AI News)
Rwanda creates dedicated National AI Agency (Africa AI News)
Zimbabwe unpacks national AI strategy (Africa AI News)
Mozambique presents draft AI Strategy (Africa AI News)